Whether an object or artwork, Ana Kraš’s designs are a crystallised example of the philosophy she began to form as a child, playing with leftover paper in her parents’ shop in Belgrade
This story is taken from the Autumn/Winter 2025 issue of AnOther Magazine:
“I find paper so beautiful. I don’t really shop for clothes, I buy myself notebooks. My parents had a photocopy shop, so I grew up playing with paper. The big rolls came in cardboard tubes that seemed huge and I remember building things out of them. Years later, during my studies, I encountered a project by Shigeru Ban, one of the first Japanese architects to use cardboard tubes as a structural element in his buildings. Seeing this ordinary material used on such a scale was so exciting – it was so visually poetic. I almost felt like my love for paper was approved by his work and it’s still my favourite material to this day. Something that really resonates is the Japanese approach to what is considered valuable. Even toilet paper used brilliantly is more luxurious than marble or gold used stupidly. Think about all the beauty created with paper in Japan, from wall coverings to lamps. It’s not an expensive material but I find it regal because it has elegance, logic, simplicity and practicality – qualities that I find most precious.”
Despite being based in Paris now, Ana Kraš is known for a fundamental concept of beauty that owes almost everything to her roots in the former Socialist Republic of Serbia and the influence of Japanese architecture and design. Whether it be homeware, furniture, clothing, drawings or photography, an object or artwork made by Kraš is a crystallised example of the philosophy she began to form as a child, playing with leftover paper in her parents’ shop in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, and making “everything from collages to weird sculptures”. Later, working with exquisite handmade paper from China, India, Japan and Nepal, she fell in love with the slight imperfections that made each sheet a one-off. These qualities are the through-line of everything she makes, from her Bonbon lampshade – a modern design classic handwoven from recycled yarn and now part of Hay’s permanent collection – to the exquisite designs available from her brand, Teget. Kraš’s distinct vision of luxury isn’t about excess; it’s an ingenious composition of colour, texture and light.
This story features in the Autumn/Winter 2025 issue of AnOther Magazine, which is on sale now.
